Do Shopping Malls Need Texting Lanes?

All the analysts pretty much agree that mobile technologies are influencing retail and shopping center environments in ways few could imagine. People are using their phones to surf for deals, research and make purchases, and, of course, chat with other folks about shopping. Every now and again we see some embarrassing YouTube video (or we've encountered them on our own – or even worse, been guilty of it) of a wayward texter. Around the world, texting lanes (not unlike bike or commuter lanes on roadways) are starting to become, as they say, “a thing.” Do our malls and shopping centers need these designated texting lanes? Let us know what you think. Tweet us (@Dir_Major_Malls) and use #TextLanes. Or email your thoughts to us by clicking here.

Stunning Stats Cited for Cellular Sales Services

OK, so you might be thinking the only reason your humble newsletter editor did this story was because of the awesome headline he created. Ah, dearest readers, that is not the case at all (maybe a little). It wasn't the fact that a retail solutions provider wrote an article touting retail solutions (and why shouldn't he?). It was one statistic that this retail solutions provider provided, and it jumped off the screen and shook me to the very core. Gordon Russell, CEO of Springboard Retail wrote in Apparel magazine that, citing numbers from uber-consulting firm, Deloitte, “mobile’s influence on in-store sales was $593 billion or 19 percent of all sales in store in 2013 (up from $159 billion in 2012).” If mobile isn't in your mix, maybe some of his other suggestions are.

New Housing and Office Space Prompts SouthPark Mall to Renovate

A reported “building boom” in Charlotte, NC, is prompting a local mall to undergo some renovations, inside and out. According to the Charlotte Observer, the SouthPark mall is giving itself a facelift that will be ready by the holiday shopping season. The project comes as the area is seeing a boost thanks to “thousands of new apartments planned and two office towers going up” in the area. The Observer noted that planned improvements include “new luxury seating areas with enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity and chargers” and “new seating near the main entrance and fountain, landscaping, new LED lighting and fountain improvements.”

DMM: Data with Experience!

There's an old saying: “What's old is new.” DMM has more than 20 years' worth of archived data, including thousands of listings with hundreds of thousands of tenants, contacts and location information. Past DMM data can be analyzed to forecast future data or trends. Everybody's talking about “big data” and “data science,” basically applying sophisticated analytic techniques to large datasets. One of the things analyst and economists are doing with DMM data is predictive modeling – using historical data to make predictions about the future.Click here for more detail